


Camarades de Classe

by digopheliadug



Category: Glee
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-08
Updated: 2015-07-08
Packaged: 2018-04-08 08:57:47
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 13,806
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4298640
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/digopheliadug/pseuds/digopheliadug
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sebastian is a student at Columbia taking an advanced French class to fulfill his foreign language requirement. Kurt is taking the class as a consortium offering because NYADA doesn’t offer foreign language classes. Sparks fly when they encounter each other after a year and a half out of contact.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Kurt dashed down into the subway, determined to catch the next train that was headed uptown.  He’d spent a little longer than anticipated perfecting his outfit, but he refused to be late for his first day of  _L’appréciation des Arts Francophones_ , the advanced French course that he was taking at Columbia.

Kurt was lucky that NYADA was part of the consortium of New York City colleges and universities, which allowed him to take classes at other member schools if they weren’t offered by NYADA.  He was determined to maintain his French proficiency after high school, but his first few semesters at school had been absolutely packed as he struggled to catch up to the students who hadn’t started a semester late.  Having taken some additional courses over the summer and during the fall semester, he was now on track to graduate with the class of 2016, and he finally had the time to pick up French again.  He only hoped that he hadn’t forgotten too much since his senior year of high school.  Boarding the train, Kurt mentally reviewed his verb forms.

* * *

Meanwhile, in his dorm room on the upper west side, Sebastian groaned and stretched as he rose from his bed.  His roommate was still asleep, the lucky bastard, and Sebastian took a perverse pleasure in making more noise than necessary as he rooted through his wardrobe for an appropriate outfit.  After pulling on his favorite worn, form-fitting jeans, a distressed tee, and a Columbia hoodie, Sebastian double-checked his schedule for the location of his first class of the semester,  _L’appreciation des Arts Francophones_.  He resented having to spend precious credit hours on the course; it annoyed him that general education requirements required him to take courses in a foreign language even though he was already fluent in French.  Not only was he very focused on his Political Science major as a path to law school, he also enjoyed the classes, and liked the other students in his department.  He didn’t particularly look forward to an arts appreciation class, even in French, but it was the only option that he had been able to fit into his schedule that didn’t look like it would bore him to tears.

Blinking blearily, he glanced at the time on his phone as he fixed his hair.  He swore under his breath, grabbing his glasses and a coat, and shoving his phone, keys, and wallet into his pockets.  He snatched up his bag as he headed out the door, shouting, “see you, Chad!” at his grumbling roommate, and kicked the door shut behind him.  He thought that he still had time to grab a coffee before class if he hurried, so he headed briskly towards the café.

* * *

The streets were gray and slushy with old snow as Kurt made his way from the subway to the building where his class was being held.  He thanked Gaga for the stylish, well-made brown leather boots that kept his feet dry.  Who said that fashion couldn’t be practical?  Along with slim gray trousers, a pastel violet dress shirt, and a darker gray cardigan, he thought that he presented a picture of elegant restraint appropriate to his foray into the ivy league.  A navy wool peacoat and a sleek cashmere scarf completed his ensemble.  He entered the building and quickly located the classroom, slipping in just on time.  It wasn’t a large class, but the room was small, too.  He found one of the last open desks in the back of the room, near the door, just as the professor shuffled the papers on her desk and cleared her throat.

“ _Bonjour_!” she began brightly.

“ _Bonjour_ ,” the students returned, many of them sleepily.

“ _Je m’appelle Madame de la Croix.  Bienvenue à L’appreciation des Arts Francophones!  Nous commencerons avec des introductions.  Étudiants, indiquez - s'il vous plaît - votre nom et domaine d'étude. Nous allons commencer avec vous._ ”  She nodded to a girl in the front corner, who related that her name was Natalie and that she was a French language major, which Kurt didn’t find terribly surprising.  

More students introduced themselves, mostly turning to face as much of the room as possible, so that Kurt got the chance to match faces to the names they provided.  Several were French majors, and a few majored in some type of performance, which made sense given the content of the course.  Kurt wrinkled his brow in confusion when he heard a familiar voice, which he had trouble placing.  The student was leaning back in his seat and didn’t bother turning to address the class, but his identity was revealed soon enough.

“ _Je m’appelle Sebastian Smythe, et j’étudie les sciences politiques_ ,” Sebastian said, his accent flawlessly Parisian.

While introductions moved on to the next student, Kurt lost himself in thought.  He hadn’t anticipated running into anyone he knew at Columbia, and certainly not Sebastian.  Then again, he had completely lost track of the boy since he moved to New York.  Kurt knew that Sebastian was in the same year as Blaine, so he supposed he must be a freshman.  Had Blaine known that he was at Columbia?

Kurt and Blaine had spent the previous semester arguing endlessly, and in the end Blaine had moved out of their shared loft and broken their engagement.  It had been difficult for both of them, but they had agreed that it was best to make a clean break since they wanted to remain friends.  They still grabbed coffee together once a week or so, and enjoyed hanging out together with their mutual friends, but their friendship had definitely taken a hit.  If Blaine had known that Sebastian was in the city, he wouldn’t have necessarily mentioned it to Kurt, especially if the two of them were spending time together.  Sebastian had been a sore spot with Kurt since they met.

Kurt was the last student in the room, but introductions finally made it to him.

“ _Je m’appelle Kurt Elizabeth Hummel.  J’étudie le performance vocale à l'Académie de New York pour les Arts Dramatiques. J’étudie le français à Columbia comme un étudiant visiteur._ ”

At the first syllables of Kurt’s distinctive voice, Sebastian whipped around in his seat.  Kurt was mildly smug at the incredulous expression on his face.

* * *

Sebastian grabbed his coffee just before it tumbled off his desk, having knocked into it as he spun around at the sound of Kurt’s voice.

He had known that Kurt was in New York.  Last year, Blaine had been disgustingly proud of Kurt’s late admission to NYADA, at least when they were in an “on again” phase of their relationship.  He supposed Blaine was in the city, too; he’d heard through the Warbler grapevine that Blaine had been accepted to NYADA as well, but he’d stopped paying much attention to what Blaine did after he had gotten engaged.  Sebastian was nothing if not persistent, but at a certain point persistence started seeming creepy, and in Blaine’s case, that point had been his engagement.  Sebastian’s interest had definitely begun to wane then, and Blaine hadn’t made the effort to maintain their friendship either.

Even with Hummel in New York, though, Sebastian would never have expected to run into him in class.  Did they not offer French at NYADA?  What kind of stupid school didn’t even have foreign language classes?  Broadway dreams were silly enough even with more solid skills to fall back on.  Without comprehensive academics, NYADA seemed totally foolish.  Not that Kurt Hummel had ever seemed to be what Sebastian would consider sensible.  Just look at his ridiculous clothes!

_Although, speaking of clothes…_   Hummel looked different than Sebastian remembered.  It wasn’t just the clothes - still conspicuously fashionable and expensive, but relatively masculine and understated - but his entire mien.  His lips weren’t pursed prissily, nor was he wearing the mildly constipated smirk that he used to get when he felt he’d scored a point.  He seemed more relaxed and at ease, and it transformed him from virginal and snobbish to delicate and elegant.  From what Sebastian could see under his shirt and cardigan, he’d filled out through the chest and shoulders, gaining well-defined muscles.  He’d also lost the last of the baby fat around his face, giving way to strikingly sharp cheekbones.  This was all apparent at a brief glance, and Sebastian didn’t consider it consciously in quite so much detail.  What he thought was simpler.   _Damn, Hummel got_ hot.


	2. Chapter 2

As they went over the syllabus and expectations for the semester, Kurt caught Sebastian glancing over his shoulder several times. He looked discomfited, as though Kurt’s presence in class was both unexpected and unwelcome. _Hmph_ , Kurt thought to himself. _I have a perfect right to be here, and if he wants to be annoyed about it, that’s his problem. I’m totally over this petty high school rivalry._   Kurt resolved to be cordial when it was necessary to interact with Sebastian, and to ignore him when possible.  The end of class was nearing, and Kurt neatened his papers and bag as he waited for the teacher to finish and dismiss them.  She waved a cheerful “ _au revoir_ ,” and Kurt slipped his class materials into his bag and rose from his chair, making for the door.

“Hey, Hummel!” he heard Sebastian call from behind him. Kurt heaved a dramatic sigh and pivoted to face Sebastian, raising an eyebrow.

“Yes?” Kurt replied.

Sebastian no longer looked uncertain, as he had during his flitting glances in class.  He flashed Kurt a wide grin, the kind he’d seen the boy use on Blaine in the past but which had never been turned on him.  Kurt’s eyes narrowed slightly as Sebastian stepped closer, easing into the periphery of Kurt’s personal bubble.

“Let me get you a cup of coffee.  We can catch up,” Sebastian offered.  “It’s been a while since we’ve seen each other.  Running into you here was quite a surprise.”

“The kind of surprise that makes you want to go for coffee?” Kurt asked with mild disbelief.  “I would never have guessed, since the last time I checked you didn’t actually enjoy spending time with me.”

“Whatever,” Sebastian brushed off Kurt’s objection. “We’re both _adults_ now,” he added with subtle emphasis.  “It’s a new chance to get to know each other.  Anyway, I’ll show you the best coffee around.  I don’t expect that you’ve spent a lot of time in this neighborhood.”

Kurt still didn’t understand Sebastian’s motivations, and was annoyed by his presumption, but it would have been a no in any case. “As much fun as that sounds,” Kurt replied drily, “I have to head back to NYADA.  I have another class in 45 minutes and I don’t want to cut it too close.”

“I guess I’ll see you on Wednesday, then,” Sebastian offered, with the same ingratiating smile he’d shown before.  Since the class was Monday/Wednesday/Friday, it did seem fairly inevitable.

“Guess so,” Kurt said, brushing past Sebastian, his shoulder and upper arm making brief contact with Sebastian’s firm, muscular chest as he went.

Kurt had always found it incredibly frustrating how good-looking Sebastian was.  It was quite an ego blow when Blaine was enjoying Sebastian’s blatant attention, and it was no less annoying now.  Kurt _did not_ like Sebastian Smythe, no matter how cute he was in his scruffy collegiate hipster clothes with his stupidly hot glasses that Kurt had never seen before, and…

_Well, damn._

* * *

Kurt perched gingerly on a seat in the train back to NYADA. He hoped to get a head start on reading _Les Justes_ , the play they had been assigned in class. He was having difficulty focusing in on the words as his mind drifted back to the brief and confusing conversation he’d had with Sebastian.  His natural inclination when interacting with Sebastian was pure suspicion. The only time he ever remembered the other boy doing anything nice or genuine was when the Warblers dedicated a performance to Dave after his suicide attempt.  That had been a pretty heavy circumstance, and Kurt didn’t expect Sebastian to have suddenly become pleasant just based on that. There was also the matter of the weird looks that Sebastian had thrown him during class.  If he honestly wanted to catch up and “get to know each other” again, why had he seemed so frustrated by Kurt’s presence in the class?

Kurt considered what he’d say if Sebastian proposed coffee again. Kurt only had Stage Combat on Mondays and Fridays, so he was theoretically available after class on Wednesday. Was it worth getting to know Sebastian when Kurt still didn’t trust him?  Did he see Kurt’s hand, _sans_ engagement ring, and want to get the story out of him?  Did he want to give him a hard time about the breakup with Blaine?  Was it possible that he genuinely wanted a friend?

Blaine was in Kurt’s next class, so Kurt decided he’d take the opportunity to ask him if he’d spoken with Sebastian lately. It would give Kurt the chance to find out what Sebastian did and didn’t already know, and then he could decide about coffee.  Kurt knew that Blaine, so sweet and open-hearted, wouldn’t have had to put a moment of thought into it if he were in Kurt’s shoes; why wouldn’t he want to catch up with an old acquaintance?  But Kurt was much more guarded than Blaine, and he interacted with the world in a different way. He analyzed and overthought and protected his heart, and he saw no reason to waste energy and emotion on an old rival unnecessarily.  Even if said rival was _stupidly_ hot, when Kurt really looked at him.  That grin was much more disarming when it was directed at him rather than his boyfriend.  His brain still buzzing, Kurt wondered if Sebastian had been flirting with him. Did he want to hook up? It seemed impossible to Kurt. After all, Sebastian had made it obvious in the past that Kurt wasn’t his type.  Even though a post-Blaine Kurt was comfortable with casual dating and even the occasional hookup, and even though it had been a while, he certainly wasn’t excited about making a move on Sebastian only to be rejected.

* * *

Kurt arrived at NYADA 15 minutes before his class, and changed into his movement clothes in the dance locker room.  He made his way to the Stage Combat classroom to find Blaine already stretching.  When Kurt sat down opposite him and began his own stretches, Blaine greeted him with a smile.

“Hey Kurt!”

“Hey Blaine.  Did you already have a class this morning, or is this your first?”

“I had Mme. Tibideaux first thing.  Gosh, that was an intimidating class!”

“Did Rachel ever tell you the story of her first day in that class?” Kurt asked.  “A girl got cut, like, first thing.  Rachel was terrified!”

“No, Rachel never told me that, and I’m glad. I would have been even more nervous!”

Kurt smiled.

“Hey, you had that French class up at Columbia this morning, didn’t you?” Blaine inquired.  “How was that?”

“Well, it was kind of weird,” Kurt replied.

“Weird how?” asked Blaine.

“Well, I mean, the class itself was fine.  The syllabus looked interesting and the teacher was relatively engaging.  But you’ll never guess who I ran into.”

“At Columbia?  Who?”

“Sebastian,” Kurt replied evenly, continuing to stretch. “Did you know he was in New York?”

“Sebastian Smythe?”  He asked, and Kurt nodded.  “I think Nick might have mentioned it,” Blaine said, oblivious to the tension coming from Kurt.

“So you haven’t seen him?”  Kurt asked.

“No, you know I’m never really on the upper west side,” Blaine said. “I haven’t really spoken to him since the beginning of senior year, although -“ Blaine broke off.

“Hmm?” inquired Kurt with an arched eyebrow.

“I remember he was with the other Warblers at the proposal,” Blaine looked down bashfully, taking the opportunity to stretch out his back and reach for his toes.  Both boys were still somewhat uncomfortable with the subject of their broken engagement, and a blush darkened Kurt’s pale cheeks momentarily.

“Well, he -“ Kurt broke off as their teacher walked into the room and clapped to get everyone’s attention.  Kurt would have to make his decision about Sebastian later.


	3. Chapter 3

By Wednesday morning when Kurt exited the subway near Columbia, he had made a decision about Sebastian.  NYADA was so competitive and consuming, it was hard to forge friendships there that didn’t revolve around performance and inevitably get cutthroat.  He had Blaine, of course, and Rachel, and Santana in her own peculiar way.  They all drove him up the wall sometimes, but he loved them.  Still, things were so weird with Blaine, and Rachel was totally wrapped up in Funny Girl.  It was easy for Kurt to get lonely.  He decided that he was willing to take the chance on Sebastian’s offer of friendship being genuine.  He also decided that he wasn’t looking to hook up.  Friendship is what Kurt wanted, and he didn’t want to screw it up with either awkward unrequited flirting or a typical Sebastian one-night stand.

He was running earlier that morning than he had been on Monday, and arrived to class with plenty of seats still available.  He slid behind a desk near the middle of the room, next to a pretty, well-dressed blonde girl that he remembered from the last class.

“ _Natalie, n’est-ce pas?_ ” he inquired.  She nodded, and he reintroduced himself.  “Kurt,” he said.  He continued chatting with Natalie for a few minutes as the classroom filled up, then turned from where she sat on his left to the seat on his right as he sensed someone sliding into the chair.

“ _Ah, bonjour Sebastian_ ,” Kurt smirked.  “ _Quelle surprise._ ” *****   

“ _Oui, je dois une surprise_ ,” Sebastian replied with a smile.  “ _Je t’ai apporté un moka._ ”

Kurt raised a quizzical eyebrow, his smirk morphing into a small, sincere small as he took the mocha that Sebastian handed him.  “ _Pour moi?_ ” Kurt confirmed.  “ _Tu es trop gentil._ ”

“ _Trop gentil?_ ” Sebastian teased.  “ _Ça c'est nouveau_.”

Kurt stifled a snort and thought to himself,  _yeah, I can do this friend thing_.

* * *

Sebastian lingered after class as Kurt gathered his books.

“Since you didn’t have time for coffee on Monday, I decided to bring coffee to you,” Sebastian said with a smile.

“That’s remarkably clever of you,” Kurt praised him teasingly, “except that I actually would have had time for coffee today.  The class I have after this is just Monday/Friday.  Thanks for the mocha, by the way.  It was great.”

“I told you I know all the best places.  Since you already had your mocha, let me buy you a pastry,” Sebastian said with a wink.

“I guess,” Kurt rolled his eyes as though conceding grudgingly.

He followed Sebastian out of the building and south a couple of short blocks on Broadway, chatting as they went.

“How have you been liking New York so far?” Kurt inquired lightly.

“Sure beats Ohio,” Sebastian replied with a wry smile.

“That’s been my experience, too.”

“Yeah, I can see that New York has been good to you,” Sebastian winked.

To Kurt’s extreme annoyance, he found himself blushing.  Sebastian had always been, well,  _blatant_ , but Kurt wasn’t used to receiving that kind of attention.  To cover how flustered he was, he fired back.

“If only I could say the same for you.  Who knew that it was possible for you to look even less put-together?  I mean, you once wore a rugby shirt clubbing.”  Kurt wouldn’t say, at the moment, that Sebastian looked  _bad_.  He was dressed in a pair of slim, dark gray jeans, low boots, and a camel-colored duffel coat over a loosely-fitted sweater, and the look was still very collegiate casual, especially compared to Kurt’s meticulously assembled and flawlessly accessorized outfit.

“In my defense,” Sebastian huffed, “Scandals really isn’t much of a bar.”

“Every moment of your life is an opportunity for fashion,” Kurt scolded.

Sebastian burst out laughing.  “That is an incredibly Kurt Hummel thing to say.  Is it weird that I kind of missed you?”

“Yes,” Kurt deadpanned.  “Super weird.”

* * *

When they arrived at the café, Kurt saw that seating was so sparse as to be almost nonexistent, but they seem to have lucked into a lull that left a couple of chairs empty.  He and Sebastian approached the counter together, and Kurt scanned the pastry case and the small refrigerated section below it before grabbing a small yogurt parfait.

“I’m gonna get another coffee,” Sebastian said.  “You want anything to drink?”

“Short Americano,” Kurt directed his order to the barista.  “And this, please,” he added, sliding his parfait onto the counter.

“And you?” asked the barista, indicating Sebastian.

“Short breve,” Sebastian replied, with disinterested eyes but a reflexively charming grin.  The barista - a short, round-faced Latina in an outrageous amount of eyeliner - preened slightly under his smile as she totaled the order.

“That’ll be $12.50,” she smiled, fluttering her lashes as Sebastian went to extract his wallet from the pocket of his jeans.

“Please, let me,” Kurt interjected, stepping so that his hip and shoulder were slightly in front and to the side of Sebastian.  He handed the barista $20, waited while she made change, and slipped a couple of dollars in the tip jar on the counter.  “You already bought me coffee today,” he added with a glance at Sebastian.

The two young men made their way over to the bar to wait for their drinks, and Kurt turned to Sebastian with an inquiring smirk.  “What the hell is a  _breve_ anyway?”

“It’s a latte made with half-and-half, you plebe,” Sebastian snarked.

“Oh Gaga, the calories!” Kurt shuddered.  “I guess I should consider myself lucky you didn’t ask for a shot of Courvoisier, you stunningly pretentious snob.”

“You know, I’d forgotten that I used to do that,” laughed Sebastian.  “There’s always next time,” he added, grabbing their drinks as the barista called them out and nodding Kurt toward the empty chairs by the window.

As they sat down, Kurt worked his vibrating phone out of the pocket of his – _incredibly tight_  – pants.  He checked the screen and glanced apologetically at Sebastian.  “Just a sec,” he said, typing a quick text message.  “Sorry about that,” he looked back at Sebastian.

“All good?” Sebastian inquired.

“Yeah, no problem, just Rachel wondering if I wanted to grab lunch.  I told her I was still uptown.”

“Rachel Berry?  The big Broadway diva isn’t too busy for lunch with the little people?” Sebastian asked.

“Rachel would be so gratified that you’ve been following her career,” Kurt teased.  “And I am  _not_  the ‘little people.’  I’m her best friend!”

“You keep up with a lot of your high school friends?”

“Surprisingly many.  I know people say that high school friends drift apart, but so many of them ended up in New York.  Rachel’s here, of course.  And, um, did you hear about…” Kurt trailed off.

“Your stepbrother?  Yeah, man, I was sorry to hear it.  He seemed like a good guy,” Sebastian offered awkwardly, fidgeting slightly.

“God, he  _so_  was.  But, um…” Kurt breathed deeply and returned to the subject.  “Santana’s here, and Brittany now that they’re back together.  Artie’s in film school.  Mercedes was in L.A. but she decided to work on her next album here, and she’s living with Sam and Blaine.”  Kurt blushed as he mentioned his ex-fiancé.   _My porcelain complexion sure does suck when I don’t want every stupid feeling showing up on my face_ , Kurt thought.

“So you and Blaine aren’t…?” Sebastian trailed off with a question in his voice.

“No.  I mean - you know we were engaged, right?  But we had never lived together, and when he first moved out here it was like… You know, we loved each other so much, but we drove each other crazy because we couldn’t really _communicate_.  And when I really thought about it, that was kind of our problem all along - communication.”  Kurt was glad to get that explanation out of the way, and wasn’t looking forward to more poking and prodding on the subject, so he turned it on Sebastian.  “So, you gonna make a play for Blaine now?”

“Didn’t you just say he was living with Sam?” Sebastian quirked an eyebrow.  “And which one was Sam, again?”

“Oh Gaga, not like  _that_!  Sam is with Mercedes, they’re just roommates.  And Sam is the bottle blond with the -“ Kurt mimed a wide mouth and Sebastian burst out laughing.

“Right, the one with the dick sucking lips,” Sebastian clarified.

“Jesus!” Kurt exclaimed, flushing delicately pink.  “Anyway, even if he was with Sam, since when did a petty thing like a boyfriend stop you from going after a guy?”

“Touché,” returned Sebastian.  “But didn’t you hear?  I’m trying to be a better person.  Anyway, we don’t have to talk about Blaine if it bothers you.”

“I mean, it’s okay,” Kurt said.  “We’re friends now and everything, but talking about the breakup isn’t, like, my  _favorite_  thing.”

“Consider the subject dropped,” Sebastian smiled.

“This – you being nice thing… it’s kind of weirding me out,” Kurt said.

Sebastian quirked an eyebrow.  “Please, Princess, I am  _not_  nice.  I’m charming.  It’s a much more useful character trait.”

Kurt rolled his eyes.  “Well, I suppose it’s better than being an asshole.  Which you also do.”

“But in a fun way!”

“Right,” Kurt smirked.  “Anyway, it’s been nice catching up, but I should get back to Midtown.  I’ll see you in class.”

Sebastian raised his cup in a mock salute as Kurt rose from his seat.

As he made for the door, Kurt turned back to Sebastian for a moment.  “Thanks again for the mocha,” he said, “but the next time you buy me coffee, make it an Americano.”  

He swept out the door, and Sebastian was left behind with a bemused smile on his face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Kurt and Sebastian’s exchange:
> 
> “Oh, hello Sebastian. What a surprise.”
> 
> “Yes, I do have a surprise. I brought you a mocha.”
> 
> “For me? You’re too kind.”
> 
> “Too kind? That’s a new one.”


	4. Chapter 4

Over the next weeks, Kurt and Sebastian’s budding friendship continued apace.  They sat next to each other in class, snarking under their breath at poor analyses made by their classmates.  Every Monday, Kurt brought Sebastian a breve, and every Friday, Sebastian brought Kurt an Americano.  On Wednesdays they went out for coffee after class, sometimes lingering to discuss classwork.  They exchanged phone numbers after their second Wednesday coffee, Sebastian keying his number into Kurt’s phone under the contact  _BG_.

The next time Kurt had seen Sebastian, he had greeted him with a question.  “BG?” he asked, quirking an eyebrow.

“For  _beau gosse_ , obviously,” returned Sebastian with a smirk.

“Yeah, ‘cause you’re the only hot guy in my phone,” Kurt rolled his eyes.

“Maybe not, but since I’m clearly the hottest I assumed it wouldn’t cause any confusion.”

“Actually, I’m terribly confused,” Kurt remarked.  “I assumed it stood for something like ‘basically ghastly.’”

Sebastian snorted.

“Bigheaded goblin?” Kurt mused.  “Bitchy gay?”

“ – I think that one’s you,” Sebastian interjected.

“Thanks ever so much, big guy.”

“I don’t mind that one,” Sebastian leered, full of innuendo.

“Oh Gaga, is this what it’s going to be like with you now that you’re not after my boyfriend?” Kurt sighed.

“Like what?” Sebastian asked, widening his eyes in mock innocence.

“Like I can’t say anything without you making it dirty!” said Kurt.

“All the best things are dirty,” Sebastian said with an over-the-top leer.

“I think I liked it better when you hated me.”

“Well, it’s too late for that now,” replied Sebastian.  “You got hot.”

“What?  You’re telling me that you think I…?” Kurt squirmed uncomfortably.

“What, like you’re not aware that you’re a marble statue of a Greek god?” Sebastian winked.

“Well, obviously,” Kurt recovered slightly.  “But… you…”

“When have I ever been bashful about expressing appreciation for the male form?”

“Not for mine!” Kurt near-squeaked.

“’Cause you got hotter.  Are you even listening?”

And so it went.

* * *

Kurt had mentioned to Rachel that Sebastian was in his French class, but hadn’t brought him up again.  Rachel, being her charmingly self-involved self, had put it out of her head.  This was made abundantly clear by her reaction when she returned to the apartment to find Kurt and Sebastian on the couch with their French homework open in front of them.

“Kurt!” she shrieked.  “Why is Slushy Warbler in my apartment?”

Kurt let out a deep breath, mentally counting to ten.  When he was finished, he replied, “Rachel, I told you he was in my French class.”

“I also have a name,” Sebastian added.

“Not actually helping, Sebastian,” Kurt replied shortly.  “Anyway, Rachel, I believe you meant _our_ apartment.”

“Yes, of course it’s our apartment, Kurt,” Rachel soothed.  “I just don’t understand why you would study with him!  Surely there are other people in your class.”

“Rachel, please, let’s have this discussion later if we must have it,” Kurt said.

Sebastian rearranged himself on the couch, leaning against the back and weaving his fingers together behind his head.  “Oh, don’t mind me,” he smiled.

“Still not helping,” Kurt said through gritted teeth.

“Why would you assume I wanted to help?” replied Sebastian flippantly.

“See, Kurt, this is what I’m saying!” Rachel interjected.  “Why bother wasting your energy fighting with him when I’m sure your class is full of perfectly nice people who would study with you?”

“Because Sebastian is fun!” Kurt burst out.  “Because we like to make fun of other people’s shallow analyses of the plays we read, and arguing with him makes me understand the material better.  Jeez, Rachel, Gaga forbid I should make a friend that’s not you!”

“Aww, Kurt,” Sebastian teased.

“Shut up, Sebastian,” Kurt said, his attention still focused on Rachel.

“But Kurt, you have plenty of other friends!  What about Santana and Brittany?  Sam and Mercedes?  Artie?  Blaine?” Rachel offered.

“Sure, my ex-fiancé and his friends.  And the happy couples.  Why would I possibly want a little time away from that incestuous little family?”

“I thought you and Blaine were okay?” Rachel questioned, her eyes wide with concern and confusion.

“That doesn’t mean I want to spend all of my free time with him, rubbing my face in the fact that I couldn’t make it work with the love of my life!”  Kurt’s anger broke and his shoulders fell, leaving him looking defeated and forlorn.

“I’m sorry, Kurt,” Rachel said, approaching him with her hands raised placatingly.  “I guess I just didn’t understand.  Of course you should make friends, and spend time with other people if you need to.  I just wish you would have talked to me about how you felt.”

“I just didn’t want to burden you, sweetie.  I know how focused you are on Funny Girl.  As you should be.”

“You’re my best friend, Kurt.  Your feelings will always be important to me,” Rachel said as Kurt took her into his arms for a hug.

Kissing the top of Rachel’s head, he murmured, “I think I’m gonna go for a walk.  Do you want to do early dinner before your show?”

“Sure, I’ll put something together for us,” she offered.

“Love you,” Kurt said.

“Love you,” Rachel replied, pulling away from Kurt and heading to her room to set down her things and change.

Kurt sighed and returned to sit next to Sebastian on the couch.

“Sorry about that,” Kurt offered, looking down as he rubbed the back of his neck.

“No worries,” Sebastian offered with surprising tact.  “Need me to head out?”

“No,” Kurt replied quickly.  “I mean, I wanted to get out of the apartment for a bit, but we could just go get coffee or something.”

“Yeah, that sounds about right,” Sebastian grinned.  “Since we’re such good friends and all.”

“Shut up,” Kurt said with a small laugh, bonking Sebastian on the head with his copy of  _Thérèse Raquin_. 


	5. Chapter 5

“Kurt, c’mon,” wheedled Sebastian.

“I told you, Sebastian, I don’t want to.”

Kurt and Sebastian were sitting on a sofa in Lerner Hall on Friday morning, where they frequently spent the few minutes between when their class ended and when Kurt had to catch the subway back to NYADA for Stage Combat.

“I seriously think you’ve moped for long enough.  Best way to get over your ex – “

“ – is to get under someone new.  Yes, I’ve heard that one.  You are truly the master of all sex-related clichés,” Kurt replied drily.  “I’m not going to meet anyone that I want to get under at some sleazy bar anyway.”

“You underestimate me!  The place I had in mind was really nice.  There are a lot more decent options in New York than there were in Lima, unsurprisingly,” said Sebastian.

“Sebastian, I  _have_  had sex since Blaine and I broke up.  If you think I’m still _moping_ , then fucking a random clearly isn’t the panacea that you seem to think it is,” Kurt argued.

“Well, fine.  Then we’ll find you a nice boy to hold hands and eat brunch with.  That’s the kind of thing you’re into, right?”

“Not lately, apparently.  I forgot how exhausting it is to date new people.  I’m sick of the assholes at NYADA, and the guys I meet when I  _do_  go out aren’t really long-term material.  That’s why I’m telling you it’s pointless to try to get me out scoping for guys tonight,” sighed Kurt.

“You just need to keep trying,” Sebastian offered, with a brief but comforting squeeze of his arm around Kurt’s shoulders.  “You and Blaine were lucky in a lot of ways.  You’re not going to connect right away with everyone you meet.  But there are so many guys out there, Kurt.  I’m sure you’ll find someone.”

“I don’t even know if that’s what I want anymore,” Kurt sighed.  “Maybe I’m not long-term material either.”

“This is what I’m saying, Kurt – you’re in a total funk.  I am not taking no for an answer about going out tonight.  I’m going to come to your apartment and kidnap you and force you to have fun.”

“Rachel will protect me!” Kurt protested.

“It’s Friday night, Rachel has a show,” countered Sebastian smugly.  “I am showing up at your place at 9, and if you’re not wearing something hot then you will just have to be seen in a stylish bar in your school clothes.  Is that what you want, Kurt?”

“God, you are so annoying,” Kurt whined, but only half-heartedly.

“You’re already planning an outfit, aren’t you?” Sebastian asked.

“Obviously,” said Kurt, with a small smile.

* * *

When Sebastian arrived at Kurt’s apartment that evening, Kurt was putting the finishing touches on his hair.

“C’mon, Princess,” Sebastian urged.  “The party waits for no man!”

Kurt snorted.  “In the immortal words of Ke$ha, ‘the party doesn’t start ‘til I walk in.’”

“I don’t think that anything Ke$ha says could be considered immortal,” Sebastian laughed.  His eyes swept over Kurt’s body as the man clasped a leather cuff around his wrist as the final piece of his outfit.

Sebastian let out a wolf whistle.  “Damn, Hummel!” he said.  Kurt was clad in sinfully skintight charcoal jeans with mid-calf boots overtop, elaborate with buckles and zippers.  A heather gray t-shirt clung invitingly to the lean muscle of his shoulders and upper arms, and a closely tailored black vest emphasized the taper from shoulders to slim, taut waist.

“So glad you approve,” Kurt replied sarcastically.  Sebastian looked fairly presentable himself, in Kurt’s estimation, in straight-leg navy trousers and a mint green dress shirt, casually rolled up to the elbows and with the top three buttons undone, baring tanned neck and a hint of collarbone.  “Let’s go if we’re going,” Kurt said with a put-upon sigh.

“We’re gonna have fun.  You’ll see!” Sebastian enthused as they left the apartment and headed downstairs to hail a cab.

* * *

At one o’clock that morning, a rapidly sobering Sebastian begrudgingly bundled a slightly tipsy Kurt into a taxi and slid in after him.

“I’m fine, Bas,” Kurt grumbled.  “You don’t need to make sure I get home.”

“Maybe not,” Sebastian agreed, “but I do need to yell at you, and I thought I’d wait to do it in the privacy of your apartment.”

“Fuck you, Sebastian, I’m not a child.  You don’t need to scold me.”

“Says you,” Sebastian sighed wearily, massaging his temples.  “Now shut up for a minute, enjoy the calm before the storm.”

* * *

When the door to Kurt’s empty apartment closed behind the two men, Sebastian didn’t hesitate to vent his frustrations.

“You didn’t approach a single guy, and you totally shut down anyone who tried to flirt with you!”  he fumed.

“I danced with a couple of guys!” Kurt argued.

“For like one dance.  You wouldn’t even let anyone buy you a drink.”

“Because it’s pointless!  I told you I didn’t want to go out.  I can fuck some guy in the club bathroom or have dinner with the blond in my dance class, it doesn’t matter, because either way I don’t  _feel_  anything!” Kurt burst out, frustrated.  “What if Blaine was it?  What if we fucked it up and I never feel that way again?”

“That’s bullshit, Kurt.  I know you’re hurt.  I know you had something special with Blaine.  But you two idiots used to make me think that maybe love really exists, and if it does, then there’s no way that you only get one chance.  What kind of fucking world would that be?”

“No, Sebastian.  You were right when we first met.  Finding the ‘love of your life’ is a joke.  You go ahead and keep fucking every decent-looking guy you meet, and I’ll be alone until I can’t stand it anymore and end up sneaking out of some stranger’s apartment at 2 in the morning, because that’s what life is!”

“Let me tell you what your problem is.  You think you need to be in love to get something out of a fuck, so when you’re having sex with anyone who’s not Blaine, you close yourself off.  You don’t try to share any part of yourself, because you think if it’s not love it’s all physical.  When you have sex with someone, even someone you don’t know, it’s unavoidably intimate.  You’re only going to be satisfied, to really feel like it’s meaningful, if you let down your walls a little bit and let the other guy in,” argued Sebastian.

“’Cause you know so much about  _connecting_  with people,” Kurt spat bitterly.  “Then tell me, how the hell am I supposed to let myself go with someone when I can’t trust anyone?”

Sebastian took a deep breath and searched Kurt’s eyes, wanting to convey his sincerity.  “Look, I’m not great at this.  I’m not even really  _good_  at it.  I don’t give my heart, but I give  _something_.  Even I know that you can’t live your life without trusting  _anyone_.”

Kurt was so hurt, and so angry.  His anger crashed and broke like a wave as Sebastian watched.  Kurt closed his eyes, hung his head, and let out a small, sad sigh.

Sebastian lifted his palm to cup Kurt’s cheek and Kurt opened his eyes and looked at Sebastian, bereft.

“Everybody leaves,” Kurt sighed with wet eyes.

“Not everybody,” Sebastian said softly, and for a moment, Kurt just looked at him searchingly.  For the first time since he sat across from Sebastian in the Lima Bean – when Sebastian had apologized for what he had done to Kurt, Blaine, and the rest of the glee club – Kurt saw compassion and regret shining in his green eyes.  Kurt saw Sebastian’s hope for him, and the warmth of his unlikely friendship.  He lifted his hand to the other man’s face, mirroring the palm on own his cheek, and touched his lips to Sebastian’s.

Sebastian started at the unexpected contact.  Kurt was a tangle of messy emotions, and he had no idea what he was doing.  For the briefest moment, he wondered if he should apologize and try to brush it off, but then suddenly Sebastian was kissing him back.

Kurt closed his eyes and felt himself relax, melting into Sebastian’s touch.  Even with just this, just a kiss, he felt more than he had in any of the desperate groping that he’d been doing for months.  The smell of Sebastian’s woodsy cologne, the faintest taste of liquor and citrus in his breath, the tiny sparks of electricity at the touch of his fingers stirred something in Kurt that he thought he’d lost.  He didn’t love Sebastian, but he trusted him.  He knew that Sebastian cared about him.

He parted his lips and took Sebastian’s bottom lip between his teeth, nipping lightly.  Sebastian groaned, a noise that sounded both pained and satisfied, as his fingers lightly stroked Kurt’s face.

“Kurt,” Sebastian breathed.

“You’re right.  And I trust you,” Kurt whispered, laying his other hand over Sebastian’s where it touched his cheek.  Something inside Kurt that had been coiled tight like a spring eased as he relaxed his control and let himself simply _feel_.  He had raised walls that had been there even between him and Blaine; he could take the lead in the relationship and feel safe, and Blaine had given himself over to that leadership with a trust in Kurt that awed him.  But in this moment with Sebastian, Kurt felt dizzy with the desire to relinquish control and let himself be led.

“I’ve got you,” Sebastian assured him with surprising tenderness.  His mouth returned to Kurt’s, his tongue darting hotly between Kurt’s parted lips.  His arm went around Kurt’s waist to draw him closer, and Kurt leaned in to Sebastian’s body.

Sebastian stepped forward and Kurt stepped back, maintaining contact along the long lines of their bodies, like a dance.  Kurt felt himself being lowered to the couch, his back pressed against the armrest, Sebastian in front of and above him.  Sebastian moved a hand to rest lightly on Kurt’s waist under his t-shirt, and broke the kiss to lean his forehead against Kurt’s.

“So gorgeous,” Sebastian breathed.  “How do you feel?” he asked, shifting to press a kiss along Kurt’s jaw, just below his ear.

Kurt’s eyes fluttered closed.  “So good,” he sighed, letting his head fall back and shifting his hips to bring more of his body into contact with Sebastian’s.  He felt warm all over, and a desperate want coiled in his gut when he felt Sebastian harden against him.  He moved a hand to rest on Sebastian’s hip and Sebastian, bracing himself up with one arm, took Kurt’s hand in his and intertwined their fingers as he moved to kiss Kurt’s lips again.

Kurt’s other arm coiled around Sebastian’s waist, tugging him insistently down on top of Kurt, eliminating the space between them.  Kurt was surrounded and pressed down, able to take only short, gasping breaths between kisses, but he felt exactly how he wanted to feel – wanted and cared for, warm and safe.

They kissed and kissed, their hips undulating together with the desire to feel _more_.  Kurt whimpered as Sebastian moved a hand to Kurt’s belt.  He didn’t say a word, but he broke their kiss and looked into Kurt’s eyes with a clear unspoken question.  Kurt didn’t hesitate a second before he nodded.


	6. Chapter 6

The next morning, Kurt stretched in his bed and grumbled when his arm encountered the warm solidity of another body.  Sebastian was already stirring, and had begun to sit up.

“How you doing, champ?” Sebastian asked.

Kurt groaned and hit him with a pillow.

“That well, huh?” Sebastian joked.

“Early,” Kurt mumbled in explanation.

“It’s 11am, Kurt.  It’s not really that early.”

“It’s always early before coffee,” Kurt replied petulantly.

“I can grab you some from the kitchen if you like.”

“Why are you being so nice?” Kurt inquired suspiciously.

“I remember you being pretty nice to me last night.  I figured it was only fair,” Sebastian leered, wiggling his eyebrows.  “So, coffee?”

“Rachel…”

“She didn’t get home until really late.  If she’s up, I’ll just tell her we got drunk and I decided to crash here.  It doesn’t have to be a big deal,” Sebastian offered.

“If she were up, believe me, you’d know,” Kurt allowed.  “But if she does…”

“Got it,” Sebastian affirmed.  “Get dressed, I’ll make the coffee.” 

Sebastian pulled on yesterdays slacks and undershirt, foregoing the button-down, and padded into the kitchen.  As he left, Kurt allowed himself to admire Sebastian’s shoulders under his thin, white v-neck, and the round, muscular curve of his ass beneath his pants.  Kurt had certainly seen more than that the previous evening, he considered with a blush and rapidly returning arousal.

The sex had been fantastic, but the accompanying emotions were – just as good?  Even better?  The overwhelming sense of relief, the feeling of really letting go, drained his tension to a point that he felt more relaxed than he had in months.  He _really_ hoped that Sebastian would want to do this again.  And why not?  If Kurt was any judge, Sebastian had definitely enjoyed himself, and going by his good mood this morning Kurt assumed that he didn’t feel weird about it.  As Kurt sat up, stretched, and rummaged for an acceptable outfit, he resolved to talk it over with Sebastian.

* * *

When Kurt walked into the kitchen, Sebastian was busy pouring coffee into two mugs.  He offered one to Kurt and then went to rummage in the fridge.

“Is soymilk all you have?” Sebastian asked.

“Rachel’s deeply concerned about the effect of dairy on our voices,” Kurt offered.  “So, yeah, pretty much.”

Sebastian took the soymilk out and splashed a bit into his mug as Kurt grabbed something from a cabinet.

“Raw sugar, if you want any,” Kurt offered.

“No, I’m good,” Sebastian replied.  “Thanks.”

“Listen, you want to go out and grab breakfast?” Kurt asked.  “We should probably talk.”

“Sounds ominous,” Sebastian joked.  Kurt paled slightly.

“I didn’t mean it like – “ Kurt stumbled.

“I’m just teasing,” Sebastian grinned.  “Anyway, breakfast is a good way to convince me to do all sorts of things,” he added, wiggling his eyebrows.

Kurt laughed and smacked Sebastian lightly on the arm.  “Okay, I’m just going to finish this coffee and then we can commence hangover breakfast and,” Kurt finished in a fit of giggles, “debriefing.”

Sebastian chuckled, narrowly avoiding snorting coffee up his nose.

* * *

The two young men certainly weren’t the only people in the city who’d had the idea for Saturday brunch.  Kurt had directed them to a nearby diner, declaring it a “classic post-binge spot,” and in spite of the relatively quick turnover, they’d still had to wait 15 minutes for a table to open up.

“They do this challah french toast that is ridiculous,” Kurt told Sebastian as they browsed their menus.  Ultimately, Kurt decided on the french toast with powdered sugar and strawberries, while Sebastian ordered an omelet and toast.

“That’s probably the most caloric thing I’ve even seen you let within 5 feet of you,” Sebastian remarked.

“Once in a blue moon, I indulge my carb cravings,” Kurt replied.  “You should feel privileged to witness this rare event.”

Sebastian laughed, then looked to Kurt.  “So, you wanted to talk?”

“Yeah, about last night,” Kurt hesitated with uncharacteristic shyness.  “We’re cool, right?  I mean, I feel like we’re cool.”

“Still friends, you mean?  It’s not weird if we don’t let it be.  I don’t feel weird.”

“No, me neither,” Kurt agreed.  “And, I mean, last night…” he trailed off with a shy smile.

“Was awesome?  Yeah, I thought so, too.”  Sebastian grinned cockily.

“I – “ Kurt broke off, looking down into his coffee cup with a blush.

“Yeah?” inquired Sebastian with a quirk of his eyebrow.

“We could do it again,” Kurt rushed out.  “I mean, not like, right now, obviously.”  Sebastian snorted.  “And not, like, a _thing_.  Not like _dating_.  But just… sometimes.  When we feel like it?”

“Kurt Elizabeth Hummel, are you telling me you want to be fuck buddies?” Sebastian grinned with exaggerated incredulity.

“I wouldn’t have put it like that,” Kurt mumbled.

“I suppose we could settle on ‘friends with benefits’ as the kinder, gentler alternative,” Sebastian smiled.

“I like it,” Kurt looked up with a smile.  “I think the ‘friends’ part is important.  You’ve kind of become a pretty big part of my life.  I have no idea how you managed it, really.”

“The Smythe charm,” Sebastian joked.  “It’s kind of my birthright.”

“If you’re so charming, why do I still think you’re a smirky little meerkat?” Kurt inquired with a raised eyebrow.

“Beats me,” Sebastian smiled.  “Apparently you’re into that.”

* * *

The following Wednesday after class, Kurt and Sebastian hopped the subway back to midtown together and made their way to Kurt’s apartment.  After their Monday class – which had consisted of a minimum of class participation and a maximum of flirty smiles, comments, and touches – their classmate Natalie had encouraged Kurt to “ _saute ce mec!”_ *****   By Wednesday Kurt was on fire to touch Sebastian again.  They curled into each other on the subway, Kurt’s hand on Sebastian’s back under his shirt, Sebastian stroking Kurt’s neck and jaw as they kissed desperately.

Sebastian held Kurt’s hand in his as they made their way from the station to Kurt’s apartment building.  It wasn’t so much a gesture of affection as a reflection of their desire to _never stop touching_.  In the building’s vestibule, on each landing of the stairwell, and in the hallway next to Kurt’s apartment door, Sebastian pressed Kurt against the wall by his shoulders and gave him deep, dirty kisses which Kurt eagerly returned.

It was difficult for Kurt to pinpoint when desire had turned into craving.  He had felt satisfied with the arrangement they’d made on Saturday morning – it would be easy to hook up when they wanted to.  There was supposed to be no pressure, no rush.  But the sense of urgency Kurt felt had been building gradually since then, until he had sat next to Sebastian in class that Wednesday morning and twitched with suppressed desire.  As they kissed in the hallway outside Kurt’s apartment, he opened his eyes to meet Sebastian’s and found the other boy’s eyes dark, pupils blown with lust.  Kurt could only imagine what _he_ must look like, wrecked and wanton in contrast to the fiercely controlled image he liked to project.

Sebastian snaked a hand into Kurt’s front pocket, finding his keys easily in the tight space but not hesitating to grope Kurt through the fabric as he dragged the keys out slowly.  Kurt groaned as Sebastian fumbled with the keys, and whined when Sebastian broke their kiss and swore when stabbing the keys blindly at the door proved ineffective.  Sebastian let out a grunt of triumph when the lock clicked, confirming with Kurt, “Rachel?”

“Yeah, she’s doing press today, no one’s home,” Kurt replied.  Sebastian grabbed Kurt’s hand to drag him into the apartment, straight to Kurt’s bedroom.  They toed off their shoes, and then he backed Kurt up against the bed and _shoved_ , and Kurt stumbled back onto the bed, Sebastian crawling in after him.  Kurt saw Sebastian looming over him, felt his calloused hands pinning Kurt’s wrists to the bed, felt open and dizzy with vulnerability and arousal.  He threw his head back as Sebastian pressed kisses to his jaw, down to his neck.  Sebastian knelt back then to free his hands, straddling Kurt’s thighs, and loosened the tie around Kurt’s neck, then pulled it over Kurt’s head and draped it over a lamp on the nightstand beside him. 

He made quick work of unbuttoning Kurt’s vest, then slowed down to unbutton Kurt’s shirt, kissing and nibbling each flash of creamy skin that he bared as he did so.  His tongue swirled for a brief moment in Kurt’s navel, and Kurt let out a soft, surprised growl when Sebastian nipped at the skin just underneath with his teeth.

“God, Sebastian,” Kurt breathed.  He’d been hard since the train, and Sebastian was still wearing far too many clothes.  He raised a hand to tug at Sebastian’s sweatshirt, urging, “Off.  Off!”

Sebastian dragged the hoodie over his head, mussing his already tousled hair, revealing a long-sleeved t-shirt underneath.  Kurt ran a hand under the t-shirt and up Sebastian’s stomach, letting out a hiss from between his teeth as he traced the firm lines of Sebastian’s abs, then trailed his hand back down to thumb over the other man’s hipbone just under the waistband of his jeans.

Sebastian stood, staying close to the bed, taking Kurt’s hand and laying it where his cock strained at the zipper of his jeans.  Kurt stroked and gently squeezed Sebastian through his pants as Sebastian peeled off his t-shirt.  Kurt withdrew his hand as Sebastian stepped out of his jeans, removing his own unbuttoned shirt and vest from over his shoulders.  Down to his clinging boxer briefs, Sebastian returned his full attention to where Kurt was now unbuttoning his own sinfully tight pants and lifting his hips to ease them down.  Sebastian helped haul the pants down over Kurt’s thighs, revealing Kurt’s fitted briefs.

“Jesus, Kurt,” Sebastian panted.  “Did you paint these on this morning?”

“You noticed,” Kurt said with a triumphant smirk as he finally kicked the pants down off of his ankles.

“Noticed?  God, Kurt, your _ass_!” Sebastian said, positioning himself once more on the bed above Kurt.

Kurt hooked his thumbs in the waistband of Sebastian’s underwear, grazing his skin lightly.  Sebastian shuddered, and moaned softly.

“C’mon, baby,” Sebastian encouraged, palming Kurt’s erection.  “What do you need?”

Kurt worked Sebastian’s boxer briefs down and moved his hands up to cup and squeeze Sebastian’s firm ass.   “Sebastian, God, Bas,” he panted as Sebastian made lazy circles with the heel of his hand against Kurt’s cock.  “Need you to fuck me, c’mon Bas.”

“Yeah.  Yeah, I can do that,” Sebastian said, his voice low and rough.  He moved a hand to the nightstand, sure and steady, to grab a condom and lube from the drawer.  He leaned down to kiss Kurt, and Kurt tilted his head to meet the kiss, his tongue darting into Sebastian’s mouth for small, teasing licks.  As Sebastian kissed deeply back, Kurt’s eyes fluttered closed.  Kurt held himself taut, tense like the strings of a well-tuned instrument, and Sebastian played him like a virtuoso.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> * “Get some!” or “Jump this guy!”


	7. Chapter 7

Kurt and Sebastian stole brief interludes on Mondays and Fridays in Sebastian’s dorm room, Kurt catching cabs back to NYADA and dressing hurriedly for class just to spend those few extra minutes with Sebastian. There were long, lazy afternoons wrapped up in each other in Kurt’s apartment on the Wednesdays when Rachel wasn’t home. Their chemistry was explosive, beyond anything Kurt had experienced before, and the two young men no longer felt the need to make excuses to spend time alone together. Desire had overcome their reservations, their embarrassment (which was mostly Kurt – anxious because he doesn’t like being the one who wants more, especially with Sebastian), and their history of mutual animosity.  Kurt felt vulnerable with Sebastian, but he also felt safe.  He had opened himself up to Sebastian and Sebastian had cared for him in a way he hadn’t known he needed, then didn’t know how he could ever have done without.

They began finding more time to spend together, outside of the hours adjacent to classes and study sessions.  Kurt’s other friends remained preoccupied with their own busy lives and their relationships, and if Kurt hadn’t had his own distractions he might have felt lonely and resentful.  Instead he felt grateful for the time and space that he was able to spend with Sebastian.

It was Thursday night, and Rachel had headed to the theater hours ago to get ready for her evening show.  Kurt and Sebastian were tangled together on the sofa; _Amélie_ was playing on the television but their attention was on each other.  Kurt kissed a line down Sebastian’s neck, his tongue darting out to lick the freckles that dotted the other boy’s skin.  Sebastian’s hands were under Kurt’s henley, tracing the lean, firm muscles of his back with a soft touch that made Kurt moan and buck his hips.  Sebastian insinuated his knee between Kurt’s legs, and Kurt ground helplessly against Sebastian’s thigh, desperate for friction. Sebastian’s hands went to the hem of Kurt’s shirt, and Kurt lifted his arms so that Sebastian could peel the shirt off of him in a single smooth motion.  Sebastian rose from where he had lain prone so that Kurt straddled him where he sat, and he nuzzled into Kurt’s sternum, tickling the fine, light hairs there with his breath.

“Mmm, Bas,” Kurt sighed, releasing tension as he exhaled and feeling gloriously languid.  “Too many clothes.”  Regretfully, he pulled back from Sebastian, but only so that he could drag the other boy’s v-neck sweater over his head.  He nestled into the junction of Sebastian’s neck and shoulder, biting and sucking with firm pressure that would likely leave a mark.

“Bed,” Sebastian declared decisively.  Kurt rose from the sofa and took Sebastian’s hand to pull him up and forward towards the curtained alcove that was his “room.”

Both young men undressed without self-consciousness. They knew each other’s bodies well enough that it would be useless.  Still, Kurt wasn’t sure if he’d ever know Sebastian’s body well enough that he wouldn’t feel the need to stare.  He looked well enough in his clothes, even if they weren’t up to Kurt’s standards, but the less he wore, the more he looked like a work of art. His lean, lacrosse-honed muscles, the defined “v” of his lower abdomen, the irregular dusting of freckles – each time Kurt had the leisure to explore Sebastian, he found something new to admire. Sebastian’s eyes on Kurt made him feel like an object of admiration and desire, too, and Sebastian didn’t hesitate to verbalize his thoughts on the subject.

Sebastian and Kurt were both naked, then, and as Sebastian approached Kurt where he stood next to the bed, he said, “so good, baby,” and Kurt glowed with the praise.  The warm feeling of satisfaction stoked his arousal, and he moved to lay on the bed, to display himself gloriously nude and beautiful under Sebastian’s lustful gaze.

Sebastian’s eyes were dark with want as he lowered himself onto the bed above Kurt, bracketing him between his arms, leaning down for a deep kiss. He rolled briefly to one side to extract the lube from the drawer of the nightstand and slick his fingers, readying to enter Kurt and prepare him for the greater (fuller, hotter, more _perfect_ ) intrusion of his cock, when the a loud knock came of the apartment door.

Kurt squirmed slightly and then settled.  “Neighbors or something.  Probably just annoyed that Rachel was running scales at 7am,” he gasped. “They’ll leave a note.”

Sebastian hummed in agreement, barely diverting his attention from Kurt and returning to the task at hand as soon as it became clear that they didn’t need to stop.  Kurt groaned when a second, louder knock sounded.  It might have been frustration at the disturbance, or it might have been the second finger that Sebastian had just eased inside him.  His muffled sounds became louder as Sebastian moved inside him, then turned into a stream of babble.

“God, Bas, don’t stop, so good.  Need your cock!”

Sebastian’s grunt of affirmation was cut short when the apartment door banged in the doorjamb.

“Jesus, fuck!” Kurt exclaimed.

“Sounds like you’re already doing that,” came a voice from the living area.  “Don’t let me interrupt.”

“Ugh, Santana,” Kurt groaned, turning to shove his face into the pillow below him.

Sebastian gently withdrew his fingers as Kurt squirmed, wiping them quickly on a tissue and glancing at Kurt questioningly.  Kurt held a finger to his lips and rose from the bed, whispering, “stay here, I’ll get rid of her.”

Kurt donned a robe and slipped out from behind his bedroom curtain, pulling it firmly closed after him.

“Santana,” he said through gritted teeth, “I don’t know if anyone’s told you this before, but you’re kind of a boner killer.”

“Not what I heard from the McKinley football team,” she replied with an unnatural cheerfulness that Kurt was sure she had summoned specifically to annoy him.  “Like I said, don’t mind me.  Just came by with my spare key to pick up my casserole dish.  I think I left it here and I told Britt I’d make her favorite tonight.”

“Gosh, that’s sweet,” Kurt said with mock sincerity. “Don’t let me keep you!”

Santana turned on her heel and went into the kitchen, crouching to rummage in a cabinet.

“So, are you hoping that I’m going to ignore the fact that you’re getting ass on a Thursday night when you haven’t told Auntie Tana anything about a new guy?”

“I went out earlier, brought someone home,” Kurt lied.

“Please, Porcelain, it’s 7:30 on a Thursday. That’s some slim pickings,” Santana replied, followed by a triumphant “hah!” as she finagled the casserole dish out from the cupboard where it was wedged.

“Oh, look, you’ve found your dish.  Better head home now, wouldn’t want Britt going hungry. While you’re at it, leave your key on the table, since you don’t actually live here anymore.”

“Not so fast,” Santana exclaimed, setting the dish on the counter and brushing past Kurt.  “I’m surprised your boy toy hasn’t peeked out to see what all the fuss is about.”

“Santana, I swear to God, if you don’t leave right now – “ Kurt threatened, following her across the room.

“No need to get worked up, sweetie.  I just want to see if he’s cute!” Santana replied as she tugged the curtain aside.  Kurt knew the moment that her gaze fell on Sebastian.  Her mouth dropped open and her expressive eyebrows rose high on her forehead.

“ – the fuck?” she questioned, turning to Kurt. He had a stormy glare on his face, which he directed alternately at Santana and Sebastian.

Sebastian smirked where he lay on the bed, covered to the waist with a flat sheet.  “I don’t know why you’re mad at _me_ , babe,” he said. “Not like there was anywhere to hide.”

“Well, you don’t have to look so _pleased_ ,” Kurt fumed, catching a wink from Sebastian before turning back to regard Santana.

“Seriously, what part of ‘none of your goddamned business’ do you not get?” he growled at her.

“I’m helping you out here!” Santana exclaimed. “Friends don’t let friends sleep with criminal chipmunks.”

“Too late for that,” Sebastian interrupted with mock helpfulness.

“ _Friends_ don’t judge,” Kurt spat back at Santana snarkily.

“Hello, I’m a judgmental bitch,” Santana said. “I thought we’d met.”

“Fuck you, Santana.  Get out of my apartment.”

“No, fuck you, Kurt.  You’re better than this.”

“You don’t know anything about _this_!” Kurt shouted.  “Some fucking friend. I’ve barely seen you since you got back to New York and you think you can judge what I do?”

“Fine,” Santana spat.  “Get off with the asshole who blinded your friend, see if I care.”

“I will as soon as you fucking leave.”

Blinking at the venom in his tone, Santana turned her back on Kurt, grabbing the dish she’d left on the counter before leaving the apartment, slamming the door behind her.

“Well,” Sebastian offered, “That was fun.”

“I didn’t realize quite how much she disliked you,” Kurt exhaled, his anger deflating.

“I may have said some moderately racist things to her and then kicked her ass in a sing-off,” Sebastian said.  He looked uncharacteristically chagrined.

“Okay, I am not sure I believe that you kicked Santana’s ass in a sing-off – “

“Hey!” interrupted Sebastian.

“And, I mean… you wouldn’t say that kind of stuff any more, right?” Kurt inquired quietly, with wide eyes.

“Fuck, no,” Sebastian replied quickly and emphatically. “I’m still a snarky asshole, but I really am trying to be a decent human being.”

“I know,” Kurt soothed, seating himself next to Sebastian on the bed and rubbing slow circles on the other boy’s back.

“Enough self-reflection.  I remember you saying something about getting off?”

As Kurt laughed and leaned to kiss Sebastian his phone vibrated on the bedside table, unheeded.


	8. Chapter 8

Kurt and Sebastian didn’t have sex that night – all joking aside, the confrontation with Santana really had killed the mood – but they kissed, and laughed, and held each other close.  The show of non-sexual affection was relatively new between them, but each boy could see that the other needed it.  Kurt wanted to reassure Sebastian through his touch that he was a worthwhile person, even after the _many_ mistakes he’d made in high school.  For himself, Sebastian’s non-demanding affection reassured Kurt that he was his own person, free to make the choices that were best for him – that he could put himself first.

By the time Sebastian left Kurt’s apartment to make his way back to his dorm, Kurt was starting to get sleepy.  Stretching, he grabbed his phone to check the time, only to be greeted by barrage of message notifications.  He had turned it to silent after a few calls from Santana, feeling that she had yelled at him enough for one night.  Seeing that he had 7 missed calls, 3 voicemails, and a slew of text messages, it looked like Santana disagreed.  With a sigh, he played his voicemails.

> _“Kurt, pick up your damn phone, or Santana is out and Snix is in!  You think I gave you a hard time before, you ain’t seen nothing yet.  You better not be ignoring me because you’re fucking that asshole, I swear to God!”_
> 
> _“I should have stayed there and cockblocked you in person, I just couldn’t look at that smirky meerkat face anymore._ _No me jodas, Kurt. Yo te mostraré cómo lo hacemos en Lima Heights Adjacent!”_
> 
> _“Kurt? This is Blaine. Santana called me and she was yelling about something, but she was mostly speaking Spanish.  I heard your name, though.  Is everything okay?  Please call me.”_

“Damn,” Kurt swore under his breath.  He had hoped that Santana would wait to speak with him again before making trouble.  He scrolled through to his text messages.

> **From Brittany** : I don’t know why Santana’s mad, but I think you hurt her feelings.  That’s not very unicorn, Kurt.  She had a lot of wine at dinner, and now she’s crying on me and yelling in Spanish.
> 
> **From Rachel*** : I’m in intermission and it sounds like we need to talk.  Call me if you get this in the next 15 minutes!
> 
> **From Rachel** *: Seriously, Kurt. You’re not really having sex with Sebastian?
> 
> **From Blaine** : Did you get my voicemail? Call me.

It looked like Santana had called both Blaine and Rachel, but either she hadn’t been very coherent on the phone with Blaine or he was trying to give Kurt the benefit of a doubt.  Either way, he had a few people that it looked like he needed to talk to. He wasn’t looking forward to devoting a lot of energy to Santana’s bullshit at the moment, so he fired off a quick text to her, and a bit of reassurance to Brittany.

> **To Santana** : We can talk about this once you’ve calmed down.  Text me tomorrow if you feel like having an actual discussion by then.
> 
> **To Brittany** : Sorry, Britt. Don’t worry, everything’s going to be okay.

Kurt would talk to Rachel once she got back from her show, which would be fairly soon, but he had no idea what he was going to say to Blaine. He would rather not have the whole discussion over the phone, but he worried that Blaine would get (questionably accurate) information before they got the chance to speak in person, from Santana or whoever else she’d talked to.

It wasn’t that Kurt was ashamed of what he was doing with Sebastian, but he was unexcited about having to justify their arrangement – relationship? – to his friends.  He knew that many of them held out hope that he’d get back together with Blaine. Even if they didn’t, they had preconceived notions of Sebastian that Kurt would have to take down brick by brick before any of them would accept that Kurt was seeing him. It was enough work that secrets had been easier and, Kurt admitted to himself, kind of hot in a Buffy and Spike sort of way.

Kurt was uncertain how Blaine would react to the revelation. For a long time, Blaine had thought Sebastian was harmless even when Kurt had still disagreed. He had forgiven Sebastian for the injury that the boy had caused to his eye, even though it had been bad enough to require surgery.  Blaine was forgiving to a fault, and Kurt didn’t doubt that Blaine would have welcomed Sebastian with open arms and an open heart if he were involving himself in their lives as a friend.

As a lover, however, Kurt was deeply unsure what to expect. Blaine’s jealousy had been an issue when they dated, both in high school and in New York.  Kurt recalled the “Chandler incident” with annoyance, and more recently Kurt’s high-profile status at NYADA had been a bone of contention between them.  Kurt worried not only that Blaine would be upset that Kurt was sleeping with someone new when, as far as Kurt knew, Blaine wasn’t; he also worried that Blaine would react badly to the idea of someone who had once wanted him instead pursuing Kurt.

But speculation was a waste of time that Kurt used to postpone the necessary discussion with Blaine.  With a sigh, he selected Blaine’s name from his contact list and dialed, pressing the phone to his ear.

> “Kurt, I’m so glad you called!  What the heck is going on?”
> 
> “Hey Blaine.  I’m alright, everything’s fine.  Santana’s just freaking out.  Do you think you could do me a favor?”
> 
> “Sure.  What do you need?”
> 
> “Could you maybe meet for coffee tomorrow, early, and ignore your phone until you see me?  I want to talk to you about something, and our stupid friends are trying to get in the middle like they always do.”
> 
> “I guess so, if it’s important.  You’re not in trouble or anything?”
> 
> “No, I’m totally fine.  It’s just stupid drama.  You know the New Directions.”
> 
> “Yeah, I guess.  Listen, Kurt, if it’s about a guy… I mean, Santana said something about you, um, sleeping around, or… You know I don’t care, right?  I mean, we’re not together anymore, I’m your friend, I just want you to be happy.”
> 
> “Thanks, Blaine.  That means a lot.  It _is_ guy drama, but like I said, I’ll tell you tomorrow. I just don’t want you listening to Santana talking shit.  Can you meet me before your first class?”
> 
> “Yeah, does 8:30 work for you?  Or does it have to be earlier?  I know you have class up at Columbia.”
> 
> “8:30’s fine, I’ll just get the notes from someone. I’ll meet you at the café?”
> 
> “Sounds good.  Hey Kurt?”
> 
> “Yeah?”
> 
> “Take care, and sleep well.  Don’t let Santana get you down.”
> 
> “Thanks, Blaine.  You too.”

Kurt ended the call and let out a relieved sigh. From what Blaine had said, combined with the text Kurt had gotten from Brittany, it seemed likely that Santana had been more than a little drunk by the time she’d called Blaine, and hadn’t been terribly coherent.  Kurt was glad that he’d have the chance to talk to Blaine first.  He was looking forward to changing into his pajamas and resting until Rachel got back, but first he had another text to send.

> **To BG** : Take good notes tomorrow, I’m going to need to borrow them.
> 
> **To BG** : S called Blaine, so coffee and crisis management have been moved to priority 1.

When he didn’t get a response right away, Kurt wondered if Sebastian had gotten delayed on the subway, or if he had managed to get home and into bed already.  Luckily, Sebastian’s notes were always good, so Kurt wasn’t too worried.  Pajama-clad, he settled in to wait for Rachel.

* * *

He had started to doze off on the sofa when Rachel entered the apartment like a pint-sized hurricane.

“Kurt!” she squeaked, startling him from his doze. “Why didn’t you call me?”

“Sorry, Rachel,” he replied, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. “I didn’t get your messages until after intermission.”

“Are you going to tell me why Santana’s freaking out? She left me a message saying she caught you having sex with Sebastian, but… you would have told me that, right? I mean, I know you two are friends. She’s just overreacting to finding him hanging out here when she came over, right?”  Rachel spoke quickly, as she often did, her voice getting higher as continued.

Kurt took a deep breath and met her gaze.  “Rachel,” he said quietly.

Her eyes widened in surprise as she saw the truth in Kurt’s face.

“Why wouldn’t you tell me?” she implored.  “I thought we were in a good place!”

Kurt moved to take her hand, bringing her to the sofa and pulling her down next to him.

“We are, sweetie.  I’m sorry.”

“Was tonight the first time?” she asked.

“No,” Kurt admitted.  “It’s been about a month now.  I just… everyone _hates_ him. And he’s so different than he was in high school, and being with him feels so right, and I just didn’t want anyone’s judgment and ugliness clouding how we are together, or the way I feel.”

“Oh, Kurt,” Rachel sighed.  “I swear I don’t hate him, not since we fought about it before. I see how happy he’s made you. Do you love him?”

Kurt stifled a laugh.  “No,” he said decisively.

“Kurt,” Rachel wheedled.  “The way you’re talking about him…”

“Not every relationship is an epic love story, Rachel. I really need what I’m doing with Sebastian.  The way he cares for me is… It’s perfect right now.  It doesn’t have to be love.  We’re not even dating.”

“Okay, Kurt,” Rachel replied with a small smile, seeming unconvinced.

“Santana hates his guts, though.  Why does she still have a key to the apartment?” Kurt questioned.

“I guess we just never took it back after she moved out. In hindsight, it was a gross oversight,” Rachel responded.

“Maybe we should change the locks,” Kurt sighed.

Rachel patted him on the shoulder.  “It’ll be okay, Kurt.  Once you talk to her I’m sure she’ll come around.”

“I don’t know, we really got into it earlier. And she called Blaine, which is really over the line.”

Rachel gasped, theatrical as usual even in her personal life. “Ooh, she is such a meddler!” Rachel exclaimed.  “What did she tell him? Did you talk to him?”

“I called him.  I guess she had been drinking when she called, and she was shouting at him in Spanish. One of my voicemails from her was kind of like that.  Anyway, he didn’t understand everything, just my name and that I was sleeping with someone,” Kurt said.

“Did you tell him about Sebastian?” Rachel asked.

“I’m meeting him for coffee first thing tomorrow, and I’m going to explain everything then.  I thought he ought to hear it from me, in person.  I asked him to ignore his phone until then.”

“Good idea.  I hope he does, and that Santana doesn’t convince Mercedes or Sam to talk to him,” Rachel said.

“God, I didn’t even think of that.  Well, I’m too tired to deal with it now.  She didn’t start calling you guys until she was pretty drunk. Hopefully she’ll stop once she sobers up.  If she gets any drunker, no one will understand her anyway.”

“Go to bed, Kurt.  You’ll talk to Blaine in the morning and everything will work out okay,” Rachel reassured him.

“Thanks, Rachel.  I’m always glad to have you on my side,” Kurt smiled.

“’Cause I’m a formidable enemy!” she crowed.

“Exactly,” he chuckled, heading for bed.


	9. Chapter 9

Kurt had arrived at the coffee shop fifteen minutes before he’d planned to meet Blaine.  He hadn’t slept well the night before, in spite of how tired he was, and after stumbling through his morning routine, he figured an extra cup of coffee would likely do more good than harm.

Kurt was sipping the cooling remains of his mocha when Blaine walked it.  Spotting Kurt, he waved and made his way over to the table where Kurt had set himself up.

“Do you want another drink?” Blaine asked, draping his jacket and bag over the chair opposite Kurt.  “I’m gonna go grab mine.”

“An Americano would be great,” Kurt replied with a watery smile.

In a few minutes, after Blaine had returned with their drinks and made himself comfortable, he turned to Kurt inquiringly. “So…?”

Kurt swallowed.  “I needed to tell you that I’m seeing someone.”

“That was the impression I was getting,” Blaine smiled encouragingly. “I know you’ve been dating, though. Why all the drama?”

“Well, that’s the thing.  It’s someone we know, and I wasn’t sure what you’d think, or…” Kurt trailed off.

“I know it’s not really my business who you date, Kurt. I told you on the phone that I just want you to be happy,” Blaine said.

“I guess I still care what you think.  I mean, no matter what, you’re a big part of my life,” Kurt said.

“And I always want to be, no matter what, so don’t worry. Who is it?  Is it Elliot?”

Kurt shook his head quickly.  “Gosh, I haven’t seen Elliot since the band went on hiatus. What a weird thought. No, it’s… Sebastian.”

Blaine coughed violently, trying to apologize to Kurt at the same time.  “Sorry,” he coughed. “It’s just coffee, went down the wrong way.”

“Are you mad?” Kurt asked with concern.

“No, no, it’s fine,” Blaine comforted as his coughing turned to laughter.  “I was just surprised. I never would have guessed after the way you two used to interact…”

“That was almost two years ago!” Kurt replied defensively.

“I know,” Blaine patted his hand soothingly. “So, is it serious?”

Kurt considered the question for a moment before answering, “I don’t know.”

Blaine took a sip of his coffee and regarded Kurt with an enigmatic smile.  “I’ll see you in Stage Combat?” he asked, gathering his things to leave.

“Not today,” Kurt replied.  “I’m going to head home for a few hours and see if I can manage to get some rest and figure myself out a little bit.”

“Good idea,” Blaine smiled.

* * *

After saying his goodbyes to Blaine, Kurt made his way to the nearest subway station to head back to his apartment in Brooklyn. He felt wrecked after the drama of last night and the nervousness of this morning, and hoped that a nap would be enough to set him right before his afternoon classes.

When he arrived at his apartment, Kurt was greeted by the unexpected sight of Sebastian sitting propped up against his doorway. The other boy looked up at the sound of Kurt’s approaching footsteps.

“Hey, Kurt,” Sebastian smiled bashfully.

“Sebastian!” Kurt exclaimed.  “What are you doing here?”

“I didn’t know where you were meeting Blaine, or if you were going to class after, but I figured you’d have to come home eventually,” Sebastian reasoned.

“Yeah, but _why_ …?” Kurt inquired.

“Uh, can I come in?” Sebastian asked, standing and moving to stand beside the door, stretching the muscles in his back.

“Oh, yeah, of course.  Sorry,” Kurt said as he unlocked the door and ushered Sebastian in. “So…?”

“Are you getting back together with Blaine?” Sebastian blurted.

“What?  No. Why would you think that?” Kurt asked incredulously.

“From your texts yesterday, it sounded like Santana told him about us, and then you went straight into damage control mode. If you didn’t want him back then why were you so worried about him finding out?”

“He’s my friend as well as my ex, and I didn’t want him to hear from someone else that I’d moved on!” Kurt argued.

“He knows you’ve been dating and hooking up, right? I mean, if you’re _friends_ ,” Sebastian sneered the last word.

“Of course,” Kurt returned defensively.  “But it’s different with you!”

“’Cause all of your stuck-in-high-school friends hate me? I didn’t think you cared about that, Kurt.  Last night you said that you _knew_ I was different now.”

“I do know!  It’s different because I care about you, you asshole!” Kurt yelled.

“Well why didn’t you fucking _say_ something,” demanded Sebastian, “instead of letting me read into your texts and freak out about Blaine?”

“Because I didn’t think you would care so much,” returned Kurt, subdued.

“Well, it looks like I do,” Sebastian said softly, exhaling and looking down with a shake of his head.

The curtain leading to Rachel’s room was pushed aside, and she stepped out blearily in her pajamas.

“Kurt, why are you shouting?” she asked, peering around until her eyes lit on Kurt and Sebastian, standing opposite each other in tense postures. “Oh,” she exhaled. “I’ll just… go back to bed,” she said, turning on her heel and drawing the curtain closed behind her.

As soon as she was gone, Kurt let out a short laugh, then continued more quietly.  “If Rachel was home, why didn’t you knock?  She would have let you in.”

“I figured she’d be asleep,” Sebastian said.

“Well, I guess you were right,” Kurt replied ruefully.

“Kurt,” Sebastian began, taking Kurt’s hands in his, “what are we doing?”

“Well, we were arguing, but then we decided to quiet down and let Rachel sleep,” Kurt said flippantly.

“Don’t be difficult.  You care about me?” Sebastian asked gently.

“You like when I’m difficult,” Kurt teased.  “And yeah, I do, though sometimes I wonder why.”

“I do, too,” Sebastian said in a rush.  “Care about you, I mean.  I didn’t realize how much until I thought you might be getting back together with Blaine.”

“What are you getting at here, Bas?” Kurt prodded.

“I was wondering,” Sebastian began, looking down at his toes with an uncharacteristic blush, “if you wanted to, um… be boyfriends.”

“Sebastian,” Kurt said, tenderly cupping the other boy’s chin. “I thought you didn’t really do the boyfriend thing.”

“Well, I mean, we’ve been spending all this time together,” Sebastian began tentatively.  “And I like fucking you, obviously, but I like hanging out with you, too. I like studying with you, and drinking coffee with you, and making fun of our classmates with you. I mean, that’s how boyfriends work, right?”

“Right,” Kurt confirmed.

“So maybe I’ve never done boyfriends before… But there’s a first time for everything, right?”

“Yeah,” Kurt met Sebastian’s eyes with a smile.

He rested his forehead against Sebastian’s, their noses brushing as they breathed together.  Kurt tilted his head to press his lips against Sebastian’s in a long, sweet kiss. When he pulled back, he was greeted with Sebastian’s brilliant grin.

“Boyfriend,” Sebastian declared softly, in a tone of puzzled wonder, pressing a kiss to Kurt’s nose.

Kurt smiled and leaned into Sebastian’s embrace. _I guess we’ll both have to get the class notes from Natalie_ , he thought.

**The End**


End file.
